COVID-19: Former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi tests positive

The veteran Congress leader is the 13th MLA to be infected while the State’s police force lost 13 personnel to the virus

Tarun Gogoi. File

Veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has become the 13th legislator in Assam to have tested COVID-19 positive.

“I have been tested Covid-19 positive yesterday (August 25). People who came in contact with me during last few days they should go for Covid test immediately,” the three-time Chief Minister tweeted on Wednesday.

Congress spokesperson Rhituparna Konwar said Mr. Gogoi had been complaining of weakness after attending a few meetings. “Doctors are attending to him at his official residence. He has shown signs of improvement while others in the family tested negative,” he told

The Hindu .

Mr. Gogoi represents the Titabar Assembly constituency in eastern Assam.

On Tuesday, Congress MLA and former Minister Ajanta Neog and her Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) counterpart Ramendra Narayan Kalita were admitted to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital after testing COVID-19 positive. The two were examined as they had fever, officials said.

Ms. Neog is the MLA from the Golaghat Assembly seat while Mr. Kalita represents the Gauhati West seat.

Of the 13 MLAs who have tested COVID-19 positive so far, seven are from the Bharatiya Janata Party, three from the Congress, two from the AGP and one from the All India United Democratic Front.

Among other prominent political leaders who tested positive in Assam are the BJP’s Rajya Sabha member Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and All India Mahila Congress president and former Lok Sabha member Sushmita Dev.

13 police personnel dead

Apart from politicians, many bureaucrats and police officials have tested positive in Assam. The novel coronavirus also claimed the lives of 13 police personnel.

“Till date, 3,455 of our personnel have tested positive with 2,930 of them having recovered. Unfortunately, we have lost 13 of our colleagues,” said Gyanendra Pratap Singh, Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order).

Senior police officials infected by the virus include

• Director-General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta
• Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Deepak Kumar Kedia
• Deputy Inspector General (Administration) Diganta Barah
• Superintendents of Police of Dhubri, Tinsukia and Kokrajhar districts

Assam’s Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that 260 out of a total of 94,592 people who tested COVID-19 positive till August 25 had died. He, however, said the recovery rate of 5.75% was encouraging.